Pages

Thursday, January 31, 2008

I have a lot of things to blog about; I really do. Thought-provoking topics. But as the entire world knows, including my octogenarian parents (Mom said this evening, "Dad and I really need to get caught up. We're quite behind the times."), Lost begins in less than 30 minutes. And so, I was just wondering: is this normal? Do other people find that, as they wipe off the table after supper, they must lift up and wipe under a bloody rubber hand? Just wondering.

Oh I can't wait to watch Lost tonight to!! I've got a couple more hours to go, I can hardly contain my excitement *grin* As for the bloody rubber arm I don't think that's to weird. Right now everywhere I go there are booby-traps set by my son. He's just waiting to catch me and really give me a scare :)Blessings,Rosina

it's funny the bloddy hand showed up tonight. jonam has regretted his dollywood slingshot purchase ever since he saw "the appendage" at your place, live and in person.normal around here, but then again, you've met us so that might not be entirely comforting

Fun...who was the owner (or do you really want to know)? Our oldest is the only one who skiis at our house. A friend took the picture. :) Next year I want to learn to snowboard for my 35th birthday. I did see your son yesterday, the slopes were not crowded.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

I woke up this morning thinking in 1970s "Happiness is..." statements and I haven't been able to stop. I looked up images for "happiness is..." and found, among others, "Happiness is....getting matching tattoos." I opted for the familiar Lucy and Snoopy.

It's nice to wake up in the morning with this mantra running through my head as I go about my day: "Happiness is...kissing the heads of sweet quiet children in the morning.""Happiness is...oatmeal with blueberries.""Happiness is....finding cheap plastic toys in your coat pocket as you go outside to get the morning paper." Then I started thinking about how sad it would be to not have cheap plastic toys bulging out of my coat pockets, and I began getting sad, picturing myself with only crumpled tissues and my reading glasses.

Comments

i remember being about seven, at my grandmother's house, and she had a book like that.... all different colored pages with that same saying. i could never understand it, it made no sense to me. i tried so hard to comprehend the point behind it, and it alluded me. i also had a shirt that i would not wear because it said, "to know me is to love me" and i couldn't figure out what that meant either. i was not an erudite child. anyhow, you'll be proud to know, that i did finally figure out the hidden meaning behind both phrases. but i still don't like either one since it messed up a good year of my childhood as i tried to decode them.

none the less, since i love you so much, here goes: Happiness is never having to go camping when you don't want, but if you are forced to go then there is a very nice girls' bathroom always kept unlocked and has running water and flushing toilets and is relatively clean and close enough to your camping spot so that you're not iterribly nconvenienced.

a love note under your pillow, written by your 3rd grader.fresh flowers on the kitchen table in the "dead of winter."conversations with your husband about something OTHER than children and broken appliances! Or appliances and broken children! :)

Happiness is... watching my baby boy run to my dad with open arms when he arrives at our house, and procede to lay his head down on my dad's shoulder for a good 5 minutes as if that is all he needed in life. Truthfully, it is what my Dad needs more than my baby boy. This is the little boy that isn't still for nuthin'... My dad had three girls, and I love the relationship he has built with each of my boys!

For today? Happiness is staying indoors by the fireplace when the temperature is about -30 with the wind chill. :-)

"Wishy-washy" - good way to describe the How Strong Women Pray book. I am so terrible with putting my thoughts into words. You did such a great job with your review. I wasn't quite as riveted to Bonnie's story as you were though - I thought she was a bit wishy washy at times too.

Hmm, Happiness is.... snuggling with your 5am early riser, picking up the crumb trail your nearly 2 year old seems to leave every where he goes, listening to every little detail that you ever wanted to know about lego and playmobil, all the hugs and kisses you get each day, and being able to tuck them safely into bed each night :)Blessings to you and your family,Rosina

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

My father was quick to reverse the numbers on his cake this evening, but when my father was 38, my youngest brother and I weren't even born. And so here he is at 83. I can hardly reconcile the number with my father. Eighty-three seems like an old man. My father is strong in mind and body, quick to laugh and full of wit. The depth and breadth of his knowledge is astounding. We look to him, all of us, for clarification. He is a man of wisdom, kindness, and humor.

I have never for one moment forgotten that I am who I am largely because my father gave me room to grow. My father gave me challenges and loved me when I failed, and never doubted that I'd end up in the best possible place. I confess that I have to quell my anxiety at my father's birthday each year, because I know that 83 really is 83. And I want these years to slow down.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Like Mama Squirrel at Dewey's Treehouse, I've been surprised at the number of editorial-type blogs I've read lately that almost sneer at support groups. Sort of a "who needs a support group" kind of attitude. It's true--not everyone needs a support group. But what is sad, so sad, is that sometimes a support group needs you. Sometimes new homeschoolers really, really want to talk to experienced homeschoolers, but find their would-be-mentors are too busy maintaining their "I don't need a support group" stance to help. Sometimes experienced homeschoolers wish they had more experienced homeschoolers in the group, but they've all dropped out because...they don't need a support group. They "have all the friends they need." Yep.

And so I was going to blog about why I am happy to have a support group, but instead, Mama Squirrel did it on her blog. And her post is so similar to what I would have said, that I shall just link to her. Thanks, Mama Squirrel (who I wish had a real name because that just sounds weird but then again, I go by SmallWorld so who am I to talk) for taking the words right out of my mouth.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Seems only appropriate to push the replay button here in the middle of January, and so......I re-present "Combating the January Blahs" (I forgot all about those marshghettis...):

My Uncle Max always had the “January Blahs.” As a child, I remember him calling after Christmas and asking, “Do you have the January Blahs?” Little did he know how apropos the term would be in my life 30 years later as a homeschooling parent. The question really is: does anyone not have the January Blahs? Is anyone really gung-ho (now there’s a weird word, and by the way, it comes from the Chinese word gonghe, meaning “work together,” and was adopted by U.S. Marines during WWII) about re-starting everything in January?

January is made for reading books by the fireplace after playing in the snow. Candlelight, afghans, warm bread and hot soup. That sounds lovely; however, the reality is my children don’t want to sit by the fireplace and read all day (also, the fireplace is currently out of commission); candles make me nervous when children are bouncing around; my kids really don’t like soup; and I don’t bake bread much. We don’t have snow, but it’s too gray and dismal to be outside half the time. I long to be snowed in, like Huber Hof up in BC.

I’ve found that the best way to combat the Blahs is to add some serious variety into the school day. All the regular diversions are great, such as Play-dough, pattern blocks, and puzzles, but here are a selection of other activities that help us all ward off the winter doldrums:

1. Random science experiments. Forget your normal science guides and just do experiments. We get the Sonlight science kits each year, and we always have leftover supplies. I just let them spread out the stuff, which might include everything from cotton balls to circuit systems, and let them do their own thing. Also, my younger ones love to just mix stuff up: baking soda and vinegar, plus food coloring, dish soap, etc. Here’s a fun one: cover the bottom of a pie plate (preferably glass) with milk or cream (doesn’t work as well with skim milk). Put in a few drops of food coloring. Now, very carefully, add a few drops of dish detergent –and watch the kaleidoscope

2. Army guy rescue. Fill a plastic cup (preferably clear) with water, and drop in an army guy or other small plastic toy. Freeze until solid. Send the kids outside with a chisel or paint scraper (or other such tool) and let them chisel out the army guy.

3. Marshghettis: Give them a bunch of uncooked spaghetti (regular works better than thin) and mini-marshmallows and challenge them to build a bridge, an animal, a building, etc. They’ll get carried away with this one. You’ll even be able to write a blog, read a book, or—if you must—prepare dinner while they create. Also serves as snack time.

4. What’s that Smell? Put a few drops or sprinkles of several strong-smelling substances (e.g., vanilla or lemon extract, garlic, various spices, chocolate, tea bags, perfume, etc.) on Kleenxes and put them into individual Ziplocs. Let the kids guess what they smell is. (Make sure you’ve coded it somehow so you’ll know.)

5. What’s that thing? Put an object into a brown lunch sack or pillowcase. Have the kids feel it and try to figure out what it is.

6. Games. Board games, card games, whatever. Inserting a game into the middle of the school day does something wonderful to their whole day. It doesn’t have to be a 2-hour game of Monopoly; even a 10-minute game of Crazy 8s somehow lightens up the Blahs. See my post on games for a few of our favorites.

7. Field Trips. Just one special field trip in the midst of winter can satisfy for weeks. Too many field trips stress me out, but we all look forward to an out-of-the-usual-realm outing every few weeks. (I don’t count regular activities—Scouts, enrichment classes, sports, etc.—as field trips!)

8. Order of the Queen: This is a special edict issued by the Queen, whereas the day is declared “Game Day,” “Baking Day,” “Movie Day,” or such. No regular schoolwork is allowed. Print this out in an Old English-type font and roll up as a scroll to be opened at the usual start of school (if you have such a thing).

My goal is to add a few of these blah-combats during the week. One a day is overly ambitious for me, and I've learned to set my goals at a more realistic speed. Too much fun, after all, can become mundane...

Saturday, January 19, 2008

"Good for one free shelf-hanging to be performed at the request of the bearer of this coupon."

Since the coupon was not valid during any football or basketball game, I thought I'd better cash it in before this afternoon. And so, bright and early this morning, like at 11:59....

Dr. H got out his screwdriver....

took a few measurements and put in the hangers...

and, voila! The shelf is up.

You know, the shelf I bought myself for my birthday back when I was 40? The one that has been propped up in a corner for one year and 11 months? The shelf that has appeared here and there and a couple of other places? It is really, truly, actually hanging on that wall. In no more than ten minutes, without even breaking a sweat and only dropping one screw, Dr. H. has at last made all my dreams come true. (Yeah, yeah, he did that 22 years ago, but whatever.)

So now the question is, what to put on the shelf? I mean, really, all of the sudden I am faced with two years' worth of waiting, and I realize: I have no plan!

Teapots?

Pitchers?

A combination of pitchers and teapots?

Photos?

The Kracken?

Duncan's cowboy boots?

Aah, here we go. I've found the perfect thing:

A shrine to our favorite Canadians, Neal and Kristina. Unique, sentimental, and cutting-edge.

Well, I predict the shelf will hold an ever-changing array of decor. Next I'm thinking seriously about trying a bouquet of flowers in the cowboy boots, or a single red rose in the Kracken's mouth or a Tennessee flag on the Campbell Shrine....

Comments

making my eyes well up again.and while we're at it, you should definitely keep the campbell shrine and add a tn flag to boot.I don't see why not, after all, I have a tennessee titans keychain, and evan has those flip - flops.

Hurrah!!! I love it! This sounds funny but it makes me think of an article I read years ago about....gosh, what was it called???.....something like "room carma" or "furniture carma" ....something like that. Do you know what I mean? It's the way a room can make you feel based on the layout of furniture and nic-nacs. I didn't think much of it at first until I started changing things around every so often. It really makes a difference sometimes, I think. =] At any rate, the shelf is beautiful!! LOL

You crack me up. I mean, really, really crack me up. Isn't it pitiful how easy some of the tasks that never get accomplished are in actuality? Why is it that things like that get put off or avoided or never gotten around to?

I seriously loved the pictures of all the fun things you could put on that shelf. I feel that way about my fireplace mantel. This is the first time that I've had a mantel. A simple white shelf, basically, that has no other purpose than to hold something meaningful or decorative. It has been a blast to decorate it this past year. Have fun with your nice, new shelf!!

I was totally going to vote for Duncan's boots until I scrolled down to the last one!I feel very honoured (with a "u").And as I said to Jesse on the phone (to his total bewilderment), "On behalf of the entire country of Canada, I would like to congratulate you on your new shelf!"Nice Jorb, Randy!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

We've been taking a break from our regular Sonlight American History studies around here the past couple of weeks. Back when Jesse was younger, we used to do Sonlight for six weeks and then take a few weeks off to do a unit study. That's one of those things that got pushed to the back burner with the younger kids as I focused so much on Jesse as he got into middle school. Now that he's in high school and does all his work independently, I can return to a leisurely pace with Laurel and Duncan.

So we've been doing an ocean unit study. I created one for Jesse many years ago, and we've been doing that one with lots of revisions. When we're all done, I'll post it. But today I just so amazed by this game Laurel created. I didn't even notice she was doing this yesterday, and today she said, "Can we play my 'Go Fish' game?" She had made a deck of cards with pictures of sea critters on each one...

A good sized deck, I might add!

Her rules were "Go Fish" with a twist: we had to tell a fact about the fish when we laid the cards down. I was gratified to hear how much they've learned in the past 10 days!

This is one thing I love about homeschooling. Like Kristina's "Obstacle Course and a Cup of Tea," there is such a vast canvas for uninhibited creativity in one's home. There is time, and access to a box of crayons and a pile of paper, and the freedom to act upon one's creative impulses.

And also, dogs are discouraged from playing cards in public school. Or so I've heard.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

* I need to register my distress. Eight years ago, Randy's brother gave Jesse this gigantic stuffed bear for Christmas. It's that kind of giant stuffed animal that we all gazed at dreamily as children, knowing that our parents could never afford such a thing, like the one below:

Yes, well, a couple of years ago, the bear began leaking great chunks of fluff (right about the time we got a dog, hmmmm), and, truthfully, the bear was so big that it drove me crazy, being thrown here and there and wrestled with and, just BIG. So, he's been in secret hibernation in an upstairs storage closet for the past year or more. Forgotten, until last evening when I came home from an errand and found the bear in the middle of the living room with its entrails once again spilled on on the carpet. Everywhere. Apparently Duncan and his cousin suddenly remembered the bear and just had to find him. But how can I send him back into hibernation when the last words out of Duncan's mouth last night were, "Please, Mama, don't put that bear back upstairs!"? Thank goodness my mother has offered to stitch it up...

Yep, so that's what's happening around here. It's always a carnival of sorts.

************Later....This just in! Dr. H. has figured out the youtube thing, so here is the Cincinnati Fire Kite in action:

Monday, January 14, 2008

I know I posted quite recently about my brothers, but they are what's on my mind today. Stephen (in the middle) is coming for his semi-annual visit, and so we're all getting together over here this evening. (Well, not all of us. James hasn't been at a family event in 10 years. And that was a brief appearance at my parents' 50th anniversary celebration.)

So today I'm cooking and cleaning in between schooling and looking forward to an evening with these three and whichever of their family members can come. Last I heard Stephen was bringing a friend from Bosnia. He's always bring friends from somewhere.

The picture above is from John's wedding in I think 1979. I'm glad I'm not in the picture. That was an extremely bad year for me: big glasses, braces, and for some crazy reason, I had short hair. Not a good look.

They all have less hair now, for sure. But they sure look better without those little bows around their necks! What was up with that?

Saturday, January 12, 2008

I know I should be going to bed, but I find this contest impossible to pass up. This contest is sponsored by Learning Never Stops who just went on a trip somewhere with Gayle and Cindy (whose blogs I read faithfully), where they ate a lot of food and took picture of weird sculptures.

Speaking of weird, here's the contest: Post a picture of yourself as a baby or young child. (grade school pictures are fine). Hilarious and embarrassing pictures will get extra credit . Pictures w/ you near macrame... an extra 10 points...60's and 70's hairdo's with FLAIR, flips or (gasp) ringlets....extra 20 points.....

So without further adieu...

It starts all good and sweet: me in a dogwood tree...

And with my brother, dapper in his suspenders (please ignore my literally drooping drawers and focus on how darned cute we were). Dateline: 1967.

Things start going downhill in the 70s. Are we pitiful, or what? Why am I wearing black skates, and Stephen is wearing white? Why did our mother make us wear dust masks? Why can't our hats match our mittens? Did any of our friends see us, or were they dressed like this, too?

My father and my oldest brother are quite stylish, aren't they? Their sideburns are very sexy. My Dad used to always tuck his pants into his socks so that the cuffs didn't get caught in his bicycle. I think it's a good look. And of course, my own ensemble is chic. Anchors away!

And, wow. This has got to be the photo that will pose stiff competition for the prize. I can guarantee there is macrame all over that living room, but if that's not enough, just take a few minutes to absorb pure 1970s.

I'll say one thing: I bet no one ever accused our family of being out of style!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

I often have my most brilliant thoughts during and after showering, while I'm still in the bathroom. Today, I had three. Unfortunately, those thoughts are contained within the bathroom walls. Immediately upon opening the door, I forget every single thing and have a nagging feeling for the next thirty minutes or so as I struggle to remember my brilliant thoughts. Eventually I forget about the nagging feeling, as well. For years I've been thinking (while I'm in the bathroom) that we should have a chalkboard in the bathroom so that I can jot down my brilliant thoughts. But, of course, I forget about the chalkboard once I step outside the bathroom, and the vicious cycle continues.

One of the things that makes me forget my ideas is that I am easily distracted. Today, right before leaving the bathroom, I was distracted by the left-hand sink, also known as the bath-toy depository. For years, toys that accompany the kids during their baths end up draining in this sink. We are so used to not using this sink that it really only gets cleared out once or twice a week.

But this morning, for some reason, I really looked at the depository and how it is such a fitting picture of this stage of our life. It's an assembly of miscellany: a three-headed dog, Goliath, Darth and Anakin, two Barbies, a pair of goggles, a canoe, a boat, half a submarine. A dozen objects collected and chosen just for their bath-times by a little boy and a little girl.

This is my reality. This is the real concrete of every day life, right now, and someday the sinks will be just sinks. Someday I will have a whole bathroom cabinet that holds cleaning supplies rather than toys. Someday I won't pick Legos out of the drain. But for now, and a few years yet, I have a new perspective on the left-hand sink. I just wish the Barbies would wear their swim suits.

I often have my most brilliant thoughts during and after showering, while I'm still in the bathroom. Today, I had three. Unfortunately, those thoughts are contained within the bathroom walls. Immediately upon opening the door, I forget every single thing and have a nagging feeling for the next thirty minutes or so as I struggle to remember my brilliant thoughts. Eventually I forget about the nagging feeling, as well. For years I've been thinking (while I'm in the bathroom) that we should have a chalkboard in the bathroom so that I can jot down my brilliant thoughts. But, of course, I forget about the chalkboard once I step outside the bathroom, and the vicious cycle continues.

One of the things that makes me forget my ideas is that I am easily distracted. Today, right before leaving the bathroom, I was distracted by the left-hand sink, also known as the bath-toy depository. For years, toys that accompany the kids during their baths end up draining in this sink. We are so used to not using this sink that it really only gets cleared out once or twice a week.

But this morning, for some reason, I really looked at the depository and how it is such a fitting picture of this stage of our life. It's an assembly of miscellany: a three-headed dog, Goliath, Darth and Anakin, two Barbies, a pair of goggles, a canoe, a boat, half a submarine. A dozen objects collected and chosen just for their bath-times by a little boy and a little girl.

This is my reality. This is the real concrete of every day life, right now, and someday the sinks will be just sinks. Someday I will have a whole bathroom cabinet that holds cleaning supplies rather than toys. Someday I won't pick Legos out of the drain. But for now, and a few years yet, I have a new perspective on the left-hand sink. I just wish the Barbies would wear their swim suits.